Carving repairs info please?

[jhmel555]

We have a beautiful Spanish Oak dining set that has been damaged (grandkids, I tell ya!) Some of the repair areas require that carvings be redone, something that is beyond my skills.

I'm looking for ways to possibly take casts of the carvings from undamaged areas and create appliques that I can attached to the repaired areas.

Any tips here, or tips for good sources of information on this approach?

Thanks!

[carver33]

Your best bet would be to locate a local carver to attempt the repairs. That's the closest you are going to come to the original.

Failing that, you could take a plaster cast of an identical undamaged area and use that for a mold to create a resin duplicate. Fit and glue the resin piece in place and faux paint to match.

Before making a plaster cast, be sure to oil the original well to avoid the plaster of paris from sticking. You should be able to pick up resin molding material from a local hobby shop.

HTH
Bill (Aiken, SC)

[rales]

I'd highly recommend Smooth-On - Mold Making and Casting Materials for a World of Applications! - they have a lot of info and videos and many different products. If you want to post some pictures I might be able to steer you in the right direction... probably use a brush on mold rubber and cast in resin with fillers and colors that can result in a pretty good wood-like piece that can be stained and finished like wood...

rales